Massud Barzani, president of the autonomous northern Kurdish region in Iraq, addresses the media after his meeting with Shiite leader Ammar al-Hakim of the influential Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council in Arbil, the Kurdish capital of northern Iraq, on March 17, 2012. AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

In a letter, Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region, thanked the PDKI and Mustafa Hijri for supporting the independence referendum in southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan.

A translation of the letter is provided below:

My Dear Brother Mustafa Hijri,

I received your letter of congratulation on the success of the referendum and the victory of our nation in determining its own destiny. Thank you!

I acknowledge your stance on this issue as well as your support for the legitimate demands of the people of Kurdistan.

Following tremendous sacrifices and bitter experiences the people of Kurdistan has chosen its own path and is taking steps towards independence. No power or amount of pressure can stand in the way of the peaceful and legitimate will of the people of Kurdistan.